Nicklas Backstrom: 2017-18 season review

You could be forgiven for at times doubting that Nicklas Backstrom would ever win a Cup, but he did, gosh darn it, so it’s time to stop calling him underrated. Now he’s just rated.

By The Numbers

Visualization by HockeyViz

About this visualization: This series of charts made by Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com shows various metrics for the player over the course of the 2016-17 season. A short description of each chart:

Peter’s Take

Ho hum, just another 20-goal, 70-point season for Nicky Backstrom.

This year found Backstrom hosting bunches of wingers on his line as Trotz adjusted lines throughout the year. Despite that variability, Backstrom consistently helped his teammates outshoot and outscore opponents, sporting a team-high 61.6 goals-for percentage during 5-on-5 play. And for yet another year, Backstrom quarterbacked the Caps power play to absurd success – namely 41 goals, approximately 9 per hour, a rate that has stayed stable for Backstrom throughout the Trotz era.

That success continued in the postseason — which had not always been a safe assumption for Backstrom–  as he recorded a pivotal overtime game-winner against Columbus and racked up points despite mostly defensive deployments until, whoops, he broke his finger in two places. Backstrom inexplicably returned and continued to contribute until the team won the Cup, which Backstrom was physically unable to lift without help from Ovechkin, which has some poetic resonance.

There is nothing more you can ask from the best center in Washington, a player who, despite winning the championship, being an all-star, outscoring his draft class, and getting handed the Cup second remains underrated because that just sorta seems to be how he likes it.

Backstrom forever.

Nicky on RMNB

• Players agree: Nicky B is the most underrated player in the league.
• Here’s a highlight that illustrates I think exactly how Caps hockey is supposed to look:

• The sequel to Swedes on Bikes: Swedes on A Log Flume.
• Nicky’s 200th career goal was so sloppy, I love it.

• On Alex Ovechkin’s durability: “Russian machine never breaks.” Check’s in the mail, Nick.
• On how to fight Joe Thornton: “Try to hide.“
• Backstrom scored a big overtime winner in January, and the highlight here is lovely, but I want you to see what happened after.

• That time the whole top line was in the penalty box at the same time.

• Backstrom was third star of the week at the start of the season after having a four-point night, but things turned poorly after that, with Backstrom recording the longest pointless streak of his career. When it ended on 11/11, Backstrom swore it was an accident.
• Haaaaaaaave you met Vince?

• Backstrom scored an over-time game-winner in Game Five of the first round, putting the Caps one win shy of their eventual reverse sweep. Look at the determination here.

• I am contractually obligated to mention the broom people here. Nick signed a broom. Can you believe this.
• After a dramatic loss in Game Four to Pittsburgh, Backstrom reportedly stormed into the locker and yelled a naughty word about the league.
• Then, Backstrom was injured in Game Five of the second round. This was less than a month after he said of the Caps playoff history: “It can’t get any worse.” Jinxes, folks. They’re real. (No, they’re not.)
• Backstrom’s injury? Well, it’s quite possible that it was an extremely broken finger, gahhhhhhh

• That injury kept Backstrom out of the end of the Pittsburgh series, but he did get a hug from Ovi.
• Finally, whatever this face is from the team’s FBI training day.

Just kidding. This is the real final thing. Backstrom was the second person to hold the Cup. Ovechkin supervised in case Backstrom’s jammed up hand caused trouble.

Your Turn

Now that he’s a Stanley Cup champ, can we still call Backstrom underrated? With two years left on his contract, are we looking at the end of his time in DC?

Read more: Japers’ Rink

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk